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I'm a week out from graduating with my masters. I have everything I need to graduate, but I have two incomplete electives on my transcript due to two separate deaths in my family last year. The school considers them nonpunitive, so if I graduate the incompletes won't affect my GPA, but once I graduate there's no reconciling the incompletes. I'm taking the June LSAT and am delaying law school until 2011 with the plan to work for a year.

I was working towards completing each of these electives but ran out of time. In one of those classes the work is actually done, but the instructor won't have time to review my work before the semester ends.

I'm thinking about delaying graduation until August. I have unused military benefits that allow me to stay in town cost-free, but only if I'm enrolled in new courses. This means I'd have enroll in summer courses on top of finishing the incompletes. Those classes don't begin until after the June administration so it wouldn't interfere with my studying. So what I'm looking at is:

A) Picking up two classes I don't need to finish two other classes I don't need to cover living expenses. I would need to stay in the area to complete these courses, even the one that only needs the instructor's review.

B) Accepting incompletes on my transcript and going on with my life, though I haven't secured employment.

If I remember correctly, LSAC doesn't report nonpunitive graduate incompletes in the GPA. Whether that means the incompletes wouldn't catch an adcomms attention is another story.

In my opinion A) is the superior choice. It's not like any big plans for summer. The only benefit is getting done three months earlier. It's May, and like most of you, I'm exhausted. The temptation to "just be done" is there, but I'm thinking clearly enough to know that this may haunt me later.

I was hoping to gain some insight from the community. Any thoughts you care to share would be appreciated.

Snuffie wrote:I'm a week out from graduating with my masters. I have everything I need to graduate, but I have two incomplete electives on my transcript due to two separate deaths in my family last year. The school considers them nonpunitive, so if I graduate the incompletes won't affect my GPA, but once I graduate there's no reconciling the incompletes. I'm taking the June LSAT and am delaying law school until 2011 with the plan to work for a year.

I was working towards completing each of these electives but ran out of time. In one of those classes the work is actually done, but the instructor won't have time to review my work before the semester ends.

I'm thinking about delaying graduation until August. I have unused military benefits that allow me to stay in town cost-free, but only if I'm enrolled in new courses. This means I'd have enroll in summer courses on top of finishing the incompletes. Those classes don't begin until after the June administration so it wouldn't interfere with my studying. So what I'm looking at is:

A) Picking up two classes I don't need to finish two other classes I don't need to cover living expenses. I would need to stay in the area to complete these courses, even the one that only needs the instructor's review.

B) Accepting incompletes on my transcript and going on with my life, though I haven't secured employment.

If I remember correctly, LSAC doesn't report nonpunitive graduate incompletes in the GPA. Whether that means the incompletes wouldn't catch an adcomms attention is another story.

In my opinion A) is the superior choice. It's not like any big plans for summer. The only benefit is getting done three months earlier. It's May, and like most of you, I'm exhausted. The temptation to "just be done" is there, but I'm thinking clearly enough to know that this may haunt me later.

I was hoping to gain some insight from the community. Any thoughts you care to share would be appreciated.

If your a week out from graduating with your masters, i'm assuming you have your Bachelors. LSAC only counts grades obtained prior to your first bachelor's degree. Sounds like your out of luck, sorry man.

Knockglock wrote:

Snuffie wrote:I'm a week out from graduating with my masters. I have everything I need to graduate, but I have two incomplete electives on my transcript due to two separate deaths in my family last year. The school considers them nonpunitive, so if I graduate the incompletes won't affect my GPA, but once I graduate there's no reconciling the incompletes. I'm taking the June LSAT and am delaying law school until 2011 with the plan to work for a year.

I was working towards completing each of these electives but ran out of time. In one of those classes the work is actually done, but the instructor won't have time to review my work before the semester ends.

I'm thinking about delaying graduation until August. I have unused military benefits that allow me to stay in town cost-free, but only if I'm enrolled in new courses. This means I'd have enroll in summer courses on top of finishing the incompletes. Those classes don't begin until after the June administration so it wouldn't interfere with my studying. So what I'm looking at is:

A) Picking up two classes I don't need to finish two other classes I don't need to cover living expenses. I would need to stay in the area to complete these courses, even the one that only needs the instructor's review.

B) Accepting incompletes on my transcript and going on with my life, though I haven't secured employment.

If I remember correctly, LSAC doesn't report nonpunitive graduate incompletes in the GPA. Whether that means the incompletes wouldn't catch an adcomms attention is another story.

In my opinion A) is the superior choice. It's not like any big plans for summer. The only benefit is getting done three months earlier. It's May, and like most of you, I'm exhausted. The temptation to "just be done" is there, but I'm thinking clearly enough to know that this may haunt me later.

I was hoping to gain some insight from the community. Any thoughts you care to share would be appreciated.

If your a week out from graduating with your masters, i'm assuming you have your Bachelors. LSAC only counts grades obtained prior to your first bachelor's degree. Sounds like your out of luck, sorry man.

Appreciate the response, but I don't follow: How am I out of luck?.

Once you get your bachelors any other classes dont matter. The incompletes won't even be an issue because they don't factor into anything.

Snuffie wrote:

Knockglock wrote:

Snuffie wrote:I'm a week out from graduating with my masters. I have everything I need to graduate, but I have two incomplete electives on my transcript due to two separate deaths in my family last year. The school considers them nonpunitive, so if I graduate the incompletes won't affect my GPA, but once I graduate there's no reconciling the incompletes. I'm taking the June LSAT and am delaying law school until 2011 with the plan to work for a year.

I was working towards completing each of these electives but ran out of time. In one of those classes the work is actually done, but the instructor won't have time to review my work before the semester ends.

I'm thinking about delaying graduation until August. I have unused military benefits that allow me to stay in town cost-free, but only if I'm enrolled in new courses. This means I'd have enroll in summer courses on top of finishing the incompletes. Those classes don't begin until after the June administration so it wouldn't interfere with my studying. So what I'm looking at is:

A) Picking up two classes I don't need to finish two other classes I don't need to cover living expenses. I would need to stay in the area to complete these courses, even the one that only needs the instructor's review.

B) Accepting incompletes on my transcript and going on with my life, though I haven't secured employment.

If I remember correctly, LSAC doesn't report nonpunitive graduate incompletes in the GPA. Whether that means the incompletes wouldn't catch an adcomms attention is another story.

In my opinion A) is the superior choice. It's not like any big plans for summer. The only benefit is getting done three months earlier. It's May, and like most of you, I'm exhausted. The temptation to "just be done" is there, but I'm thinking clearly enough to know that this may haunt me later.

I was hoping to gain some insight from the community. Any thoughts you care to share would be appreciated.

If your a week out from graduating with your masters, i'm assuming you have your Bachelors. LSAC only counts grades obtained prior to your first bachelor's degree. Sounds like your out of luck, sorry man.

Appreciate the response, but I don't follow: How am I out of luck?.

Mis-read your original post, thought you were trying to raise your LSAC GPA.

I don't think it matters at all. If you graduate with your Masters, you got your masters, but that won't make much different really for Law School admissions; and since graduate coursework doesn't count towards your LSAC GPA, it won't make any difference towards the GPA that law schools look at.

If you got your Masters degree, I don't think that adcomms will really care about the incompletes, and I would be confident that it won't affect your admissions one bit.

Knockglock wrote:

Snuffie wrote:

Knockglock wrote:

Snuffie wrote:I'm a week out from graduating with my masters. I have everything I need to graduate, but I have two incomplete electives on my transcript due to two separate deaths in my family last year. The school considers them nonpunitive, so if I graduate the incompletes won't affect my GPA, but once I graduate there's no reconciling the incompletes. I'm taking the June LSAT and am delaying law school until 2011 with the plan to work for a year.

I was working towards completing each of these electives but ran out of time. In one of those classes the work is actually done, but the instructor won't have time to review my work before the semester ends.

I'm thinking about delaying graduation until August. I have unused military benefits that allow me to stay in town cost-free, but only if I'm enrolled in new courses. This means I'd have enroll in summer courses on top of finishing the incompletes. Those classes don't begin until after the June administration so it wouldn't interfere with my studying. So what I'm looking at is:

A) Picking up two classes I don't need to finish two other classes I don't need to cover living expenses. I would need to stay in the area to complete these courses, even the one that only needs the instructor's review.

B) Accepting incompletes on my transcript and going on with my life, though I haven't secured employment.

If I remember correctly, LSAC doesn't report nonpunitive graduate incompletes in the GPA. Whether that means the incompletes wouldn't catch an adcomms attention is another story.

In my opinion A) is the superior choice. It's not like any big plans for summer. The only benefit is getting done three months earlier. It's May, and like most of you, I'm exhausted. The temptation to "just be done" is there, but I'm thinking clearly enough to know that this may haunt me later.

I was hoping to gain some insight from the community. Any thoughts you care to share would be appreciated.

If your a week out from graduating with your masters, i'm assuming you have your Bachelors. LSAC only counts grades obtained prior to your first bachelor's degree. Sounds like your out of luck, sorry man.

Appreciate the response, but I don't follow: How am I out of luck?.

Mis-read your original post, thought you were trying to raise your LSAC GPA.

I don't think it matters at all. If you graduate with your Masters, you got your masters, but that won't make much different really for Law School admissions; and since graduate coursework doesn't count towards your LSAC GPA, it won't make any difference towards the GPA that law schools look at.

If you got your Masters degree, I don't think that adcomms will really care about the incompletes, and I would be confident that it won't affect your admissions one bit.

Thanks for clearing that up! Here's a related question: Since I don't have employment lined up after graduation, do you think it would make sense to enroll in classes to have my housing and expenses covered during the summer while I try and secure employment? I'd take classes that are relevant and interesting, but that wouldn't bog me down. What it boils down to is taking classes I don't need to use military benefits I won't be able to use in any other state (and I won't be aiming for law school in this state).

In the end it IS a waste of resources and time in exchange for temporary financial security. But it means on my resume my degree date would be pushed from May '10 to August '10.

As you might suspect, I'm not confident in landing a job in my field very quickly. Taking these classes and not having my master's probably would make me less marketable. It's quite a little conundrum. Almost seems like I'd be better off signing up for VISTA.

Snuffie wrote:
Thanks for clearing that up! Here's a related question: Since I don't have employment lined up after graduation, do you think it would make sense to enroll in classes to have my housing and expenses covered during the summer while I try and secure employment? I'd take classes that are relevant and interesting, but that wouldn't bog me down. What it boils down to is taking classes I don't need to use military benefits I won't be able to use in any other state (and I won't be aiming for law school in this state).

In the end it IS a waste of resources and time in exchange for temporary financial security. But it means on my resume my degree date would be pushed from May '10 to August '10.

As you might suspect, I'm not confident in landing a job in my field very quickly. Taking these classes and not having my master's probably would make me less marketable. It's quite a little conundrum. Almost seems like I'd be better off signing up for VISTA.

Take what I say with a grain of salt, because I haven't been out there job-hunting, and I don't know the difficulty/time-consumption of your Masters degree.

I think though that if on your resume you list a Masters expected in August '10 versus already completing it, it won't really make a huge difference, since you're very close to completing it anyways. Personally, I would take the classes and take advantage of the military benefits. I think it's worth it, and it will keep you afloat will you're out job-hunting, which I imagine has a lot of down time anyways, waiting for calls and such. And it sounds like your not too confident in your abilities to find a job quickly, which makes me lean even more towards taking classes and utilizing military benefits.

In the interest of full-disclosure: This is pure speculation from an undergrad student.

Not sure I see any dilemma at all in your story. Seems like you're just trying to make things more difficult on yourself. Graduate! Congratulations! Enjoy!

For law school application purposes, your Master's GPA will hold no weight, as the other posters have stated.

Knockglock wrote: In the interest of full-disclosure: This is pure speculation from an undergrad student.

Grain of salt or not, wisely imparted KG and I appreciate your thoughts.

14yearplan wrote:Not sure I see any dilemma at all in your story. Seems like you're just trying to make things more difficult on yourself. Graduate! Congratulations! Enjoy!

For law school application purposes, your Master's GPA will hold no weight, as the other posters have stated.

Thanks 14! Reading between the lines a bit, yes, part of the allure to remaining for an extra semester is "real world jitters." The dilemma is found in my lack of prospects following graduation, and the resources I will lose access to if I do graduate. But then again, you know, embracing the uncertain is the measure of a man...and the foolish...and fortune is rumored to favor the bold. Points very well taken.

Thanks for clearing up the incompletes. I should have come here two months ago and asked this question. Lesson definitely learned!

Yep, move on. Don't delay your future just to take advantage of the "resources." They don't need to be taken advantage of just because they're there, and you can probably earn more (in both maturity and income) if you venture on. But you already know this, I'm sure of it. Good luck.

Snuffie wrote:Grain of salt or not, wisely imparted KG and I appreciate your thoughts.

No problem man. Hope things work out well for you, and i'm sure they will whatever decision you make!